Thiruvananthapuram: RSS on Thursday said the nation should come out of the prison of identity politics to make the Uniform Civil Code a reality and people, irrespective of differences, should arrive at a consensus to make it a reality.

Delivering a keynote address on 'Uniform Civil Code: The Need of the Hour here, senior RSS leader Arun Kumar said that UCC is essential to make the nation stronger and a more 'integrated, progressive and developed' one.

But unfortunately, every time when this topic comes up for discussion, it becomes an issue of identity politics," Kumar, Akhil Bharathiya Saha Samparka Pramukh of the outfit, said.

"This issue of identity politics was cultivated by Britishers...and carried on by our politicians...every time when the discussions start, our politicians come to this identity politics. Basically, this issue has become a victim of identity politics," he said.

Pointing to the need to put an end to identity politics, Kumar said the menace has come to such an extent that if it goes on, "our society will never be one. It will be segregated to so many parts that we cannot remain as one."

"If we want to remain as an integrated nation, we should come out of this identity politics," he said.

Stating that debates on UCC should be taken out of the issues of minority and religion, he said priority should be given to the interest of the nation.

"The important thing is that what is the interest of the nation...what is the interest of the society...and what is the interest of our values and ethos which we accepted and made as the basis of a progressive country," he said.

Kumar also urged people to be 'proactive' to address all these issues and make the uniform civil code a reality.

He reminded that former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi had batted for uniform civil code once.

In the Shah Bano case, Rajiv Gandhi had pitched for uniform civil code. But later he surrendered to appeasement politics, he alleged.

Discussion on the topic should go on but this should not be 'misquoted and miscarried' any more, he added.